Talk of the Town - Mack vs. Goliath August 26 2000

What could Mack Mattingly be thinking? Mattingly, the Republican former senator who is challenging Zell Miller for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Paul Coverdell, is lagging miserably in the early polls, having trouble raising money, and is generally considered by most pundits to be a long-shot candidate.

Why is he running?

Such a question is rarely asked in politics, mainly because so many unlikely winners have emerged in recent political history, confounding the so-called experts. But this election is different. It’s a special statewide election, and Zell Miller is running in it.

In the days following Sen. Coverdell’s untimely death, a bruising battle erupted to decide who the party would annoint. State GOP Director Chuck Clay made it known early on that he believed only a single, well-known candidate would be able to compete seriously against Miller, the wildly popular former governor appointed to the seat by Gov. Roy Barnes. Lewis Jordan, the former chairman of ValuJet Airlines and a Republican contributor, wanted to be that candidate.

Jordan was heavily schmoozed by Georgia’s Republican leadership immediately after Coverdell’s death, most likely because of his past financial support for Republican candidates. But as soon as Mattingly emerged and indicated a willingness to challenge Miller, state Republicans dropped Jordan like a hot potato. Some reportedly admonished Jordan to drop out. Jordan was apparently incensed at the slight, and privately grumbled afterward about the poor treatment he received.

But Jordan’s aggravation was merely a surface distraction. Mattingly, who has much better statewide name recognition, may have little chance of besting Miller in November, but the GOP was right to send its best hope into the ring, even if he is unlikely to win. In the grand scheme of state Republican politics, Mack Mattingly is expendable. He isn’t a rising star, but rather one whose time has already come and gone.

So perhaps Mattingly is running to answer the call that no other credible candidate would heed. Since none of Georgia’s eight Republican congressmen were willing to enter the race and no other party leader would step to the plate, the GOP desperately needed someone who could thwart the perception that it is essentially devoid of viable, big-name talent.

Whatever the reason Mattingly decided to run, he is to be pitied for the fate that he will most certainly meet. Zell Miller is Georgia’s political Lion of Judah, and a veritable monster of a senatorial candidate. Almost nobody on the Republican side of the aisle, no matter their credentials, could be expected to mount a serious threat against him.

According to current polls, there is every reason to believe that Mattingly could receive in excess of 30 percent of the vote this November, a far cry from his history-making victory in 1980 over longtime Democratic Sen. Herman Talmadge.

Which brings me back to my original question: What is Mack Mattingly thinking?

Here is a man who has a comfortable life down on tony St. Simon’s Island, a boatload of political connections, and the clout to influence state and national GOP politics for years to come. A humiliating blowout at the hands of Zell Miller can only do damage to his reputation — which puts Georgia’s GOP at the added disadvantage of diminishing the luster of one of its top operatives.

The world may never know what motivated Mattingly to embark on what is sure to be a suicide mission. But one thing is for sure: Zell Miller will win this election hands down, with no problem whatsoever.